Edward o



3 Sheets-Sheet 2. 'E. 0. C. ORD.

Projectile.

-Patented Feb. 14, 1860.

Inl/'enfer 5.16 l@\ s shetsf-,sheet fs.

E. 0. G. ORD.

Projec e Pafentea Feb." 14, s60'.-

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UNHED -STATES PATENT Uri-reno EDWARD U. ORD, OF THF. UNITED STAT )SARMY.

APPLICATiON 0F QUNPOWDER T0 FLAT PROJECTiLES,'G|VlNG THEM ROTATION.

.sneeiiieation thrilling part of Leiters-Patent \'o. 27. 47, datedl-ebruaijy H, lHt'U.

T0 aZZ whom, it may 0012.001111,.- y

Be it known that I, E. O. (l. ORD, of the United States Army, haveinvented a new description of Fire-Arms and Projectiles; `and I dohereby declare that, as nearly as may be, the following is an accuratedescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawingsand the letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in giv-A woods now'used forartillery and small-arms. j

The principle is to give the same, ora sin1i" lar motion as that givento the scythein mow-J. ing to dat and sharp-,edged and pointed -pro-vjectiles of greatest spread-t1l e., holding or detaining one part orpoint of the projectile or projectiles while the mass-is swung forwardand around that point 0r part, and when the two moti-ons areIcommunicated letv (To. a Figure 1, Plate 1, is a horizontal orlateralsection of a model showing the principle as applied to projectiles likethe Australian boomerang.l The gun is seen in section E F G G, and Fig.2, Plate 1, in projection E F G G, and in perspective in Figs. 3 and 4.A number of these flat and sharp pointed and edged projectiles are seen,P l P, horizontal section, Fig. l, Plate 2, and vertical projection, orlooking into the muzzle of the mortar, Fig. 2, Plate 2, in j; p p p..Upon the ignition of the powder in the chamber O T, the arms are swungaround on the point B, held, if necessary, by the slide or-screw-head a:whiehis made to project more or less over said point, as in the figure,'andj' is the fulcrum.

It is evident that numerous applications of this principle of fiatprojectiles moving forward and rotating edge first can be made, in whichvarious forms can be given the projectiles, the shape, weight,size,'^and solidity of the projectiledepending upon the end in view, andthe nature and form of the gun and chamber also. For instance, thei'ulerumj' can be changed, and.when double knives, as PP P, areusedtheprongs or arms can be increased or, diminished, as in Fig. l,Plate il, (regard being had to the charge.) Should ashower of flat 4andsharp projectiles be desired, a seriesof concentric rings cut fromplates, as P P P, Fig. 3, Plate 3, can be laid, one series upon another,and all put ina cylindrical box'with flat topv and bottom, and the wholefired from a mortar whose interior -is projected horizontallyr in R S F,Fig. 3, Plate 3,- F G H K being a section (vertical) ofthe box attheniuzzla O is the chamber, and fthe i'ulcrum, madeI by a projectionfrom the gun or box into a corresponding notch otbox or gun. llollow orsolid disks with sharp edges, as P, Fig. 4,

.-Plare can be tired from long barrels LR L ,B bysetting them in sabotsor culots, as S S, the four walls ot' the barrel being planes, A. BCDbeing a cross-section cut by a plane perpendicular t-o general directionof the barrel. The rotary motion is given as the pro` jectile leaves themouth of the piece by a proA jection, f, on one side ofthe muzzle.

Flat and sharp semieircular rings or other armed projectiles can befired from guns olsmall caliber. and weight (the rings or arms beingofgreat speed) by inserting one extremity 'ot' the ring or arm into theiiat and curved chamber, as 1t R, Plate 2, Fig. 2, and ,f rivinfe; theimpulse tothat end by the powder in t?, the center .of first rotationbeing at L or at the other extremity of the projectile, as S S. Asection ot' the gun R R is (on the inside) aparallelograin, thecutting-plane passing through the axis at L. rlhe form of the interiorvaries with thataof theprojectile and of the axis ol' rotation. 'Shouldthe extremity of the arm receiving the impulse describe arcs, (with theother end as a center of rotation,) as M L',

these arcs might be projections of the walls ol' the gun and show partof the projectile there- Eplanatz'onof the trajectory or cui-oe dcscri/dby ajiat circular disk 'mutiny/formativi and 'rotat-I t'ng'.-Suppose westart the projectile with. its fiat sides horizontal. in planes parallelto their ilut sides, (andhaving motion el' translation in a unil'orinresisting medium, as the atmosphere, and having Flat projectilesrotating` the c ntfer of gravity and mass the same,) will have threeforces opposed to their continuing both otions unchanged. The first isthe resistance of the atmosphere due to the motion of translation alone,the rotary motion not now :being considered. If the projectile ishomogeneous and symmetrical with regard to the n lane of fire, thisiirst force will not deflect nr that plane. The secondopposing force 1sth r. nodication of the resistance of the atrota 1y motion isconsidered. If we consider rojectile with reference to its right andalves (as divided-by the vertical plane of 1,' planes parallel thereto)while it is in n, we will find that the rotary force s with theprojectile (in its motio`n 4of Ration) on thc one side, and is opposedto the other, and therefore the sum of this y force and atmosphericresistance due to fo ce of translation is opposed to motion on ne side,and then difference on the other sid f this vertical plane -of iire, orthe projec e is most retarded on the side where the mo ,i a n ofrota-tion and translation accord. The

` thi-o force acting on the projectile, (its weight,)

l f, one side being more 'retarded, the side th s l etarded sinks, andsupposing the plane' oil ro ation to have been a horizontal plane at theb ginning, it becomes an inclined pla'ne, t ie iclination or fallingbeing` on the side l'her the motion of rotation is forward. If any ody smoving forward in a resistingme'dium,

nd a 1 obstacle on the one side is made to oplpose ts motion more thanon the other, (asv turning the rudder of a boat orthe 'tail of a bird t'the right,) the body turns .to that side in its motion forward, anddescribes a curve,the atmosphere acting as a fulcrnm; hence the fiatprojectile retarded by rotation forward on the,

one side turns or is deflected toward that side. The inclination of itsplane of rotation on the side retarded thenbegins, owin g to itsW'eight, and this deflects it still more toward that side, and the bodyrthen slides toward 'the ground in the direction of thisincreasing-inclination; hence, to counteract this inclination or dedecition of the projectile from the plane of ire, it' is necessary to giveit an inclination t-o the side u re to motion of, translation when the'opposite to that (in which the' rotary motion is forward) and from thehorizontal plane. Anotherv cause of deflection of ordinary projectilesis the non-'accordance of the center of gravity and'center'of' This canalso'be arranged inzflat rotary projectiles to produce or counteractdeflection from the vertical plane ofre. A V

The advantages of-.my projectiles are in their great spread or sweephorizontally, their great penetration in. resisting media, as water,(through-which loaded flat shells can be ired,) in the Very smallcharges and light pieces ot' artillery, and in the light projectiles,(sincetbeing-fired edge and pointvviirstlwooden projectiles, by my plan,can be now discharged from fire-arms and do great 'execution and at'-tain great range,) andin the ease of turning them iI their course., Toassure those not familiar with the subject how such have succeeded, Ican state that I fired from a small brass mortar, similar to the oneshown in section, Plate 3, Fig. 3, at the same time or discharge twelveat steel half-rings or; knives, .each about iive inches across, and'withan elevation of the plane of rotation of iive4 degrees and aninclination of seven degrees from the horizontal, and a charge 'ofpowder equal to one-half the charge of a United States musket, Iobtained, with accuracy', a penetrationl ot' one 'inchat thirt'y feet,of one-half an inch at ninety-feet in wood, and a range of over .onehundred yards, the projectiles spreading horizontally and moving withflat sides toward the ground, and this with Vthe first gun cast forkniie-shooting, the gun or mortar weighing twenty; one pounds, and thetwelve steel knives abonttw-thirds of a pound, the gun resting.

on the' level ground..

:What I- claim in, my invention is lhe use and control of iiatprojectiles discharged from'ire-arms,` or not by hand, and .rotating intheir flight, substantially as described.'

Efo; C. ORD;

Witnesses:

I. SV. lA'rToN, ALEX'. Birne.

